The Appeal of Simplicity in a Radio: The Sony ICF-F10

Agreeing with Val's positive impressions of the Sony ISF-F10, (I mean ICF, not ISF, thanks, Paul) Tim writes:

I, too, just bought a Sony F10 about a month ago and am very pleasantly suprised with it. For a whopping $14, it offers a nice well-rounded tone and slightly above-average reception. It may not be the ideal DXing unit, but it can hold its own. I like to run through the dial late at night and see how many frequencies it can pick up; quite enough for average radio listening. And again, the tone is quite nice for both music and talk radio.

I get great enjoyment over such old-fashioned radios that lack all the modern bells and whistles. There's something satisfying in the irony of a radio this "cheap" nearly matching models many times its price. One day, before I die, I imagine myself tossing out every $200+ digital multiband radio and just enjoying the simplicity of a silly little radio like the F10.

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Comments

[nathanjr]

I agree!

[Drive-In-Freak]

Has anyone done a shootout/comparison between this one and the ICF-18?

[nathanjr]

I think they are the same radios with different color schemes. I know the ICF-F10 is marketed mainly in Africa and the Middle East where maybe all black radios don't sell as well? I'm sure I'll my curiosity will get the better of me and I'll pick up a ICF-F18 at some point to compare.

[Tim]

I plan on doing the same - buying the F18 just to compare it with the F10. It seems to be the exact same radio, although it's a few bucks more expensive. It would still be a bargain, though.

[Paul]

Jeff, it's ICF, not ISF

Sony ICF-F18

Battery life:
FM: Approx. 200 hours
AM: Approx. 220 hours

Photos:
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/pictures_new.php?id=61803&picture_id=-1

Sony ICF-F10

Battery life: also 200+ hours AM/FM

Photos:
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/pictures_new.php?id=61807&picture_id=-1

The radios look identical. One goes for $15 on amazon, the other for $25.

[Keith Beesley]

Re Nathan's comment, I think the visual design of the F10 is a conscious reference to the styling of Sony portables from the 60s and 70s. The first time I saw a photo of an F10, I thought it WAS one of those vintage Sonys.

Sony's current designers are very much aware of the brand's legacy as a leading maker of transistor portable radios, even though they do much more than radios now.

[StarHalo]

The ICF-18 has a notably larger case; I'd wager this gives it a wee bit more low-end in the sound at volume.

[Gary]

Here's a review of the little Sony SRF-18 (not the ICF-18) and the Sony ICF-F10:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0i79BTSZQ8